


Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Smile

by Desparado



Series: April Song Challenge [3]
Category: The Witcher (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:26:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23480155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Desparado/pseuds/Desparado
Summary: A beautiful day in the forest turns sour when a game of hide and seek is interrupted by a violent attack. Can you prove your usefulness to Geralt?April Writing Challenge Day 3 – A Storm is Coming (Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King Soundtrack)
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Reader, Jaskier | Dandelion/Reader
Series: April Song Challenge [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1740901
Comments: 2
Kudos: 52





	Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Smile

**Author's Note:**

> I created myself a little writing challenge for April. The challenge is a new song each day (Thanks to shuffling my iTunes library) to inspire a fic of some kind. I’ll listen to the song a few times, and then plan like mad when the inspiration hits.  
> ** I would also like to say that it was easier to write something based on this instrumental than I thought… the power of the LOTR my friends!
> 
> Warnings: Swearing, description of a dead animal, canon typical violence, sexual tension (definitely should be a warning).

Days like this were very rare. Even before you met the bard and the witcher, you never got to experience bliss like this. Trees all around stood like giants, their leaves swaying with the wind’s tune; twittering of birds gently accompanied the sound of the trickling water you were walking along. To some the density of greens and browns would be claustrophobic, but to you it was an expansive paradise. You walked alongside Geralt, pointing out the birds to him and naming them with ease. He didn’t look at you, only grunting in response as his gaze moved from the ground to the tree trunks, so you tested him. “And look Geralt, a purple jay!”  
“You said you can’t get purple jays.” He stated monotonously. You looked at him, eyebrows raised,  
“Oh so you were listening?” You teased. He turned his head to look at you, the light from above flickered into his amber eyes,  
“I always listen when you talk.” He replied, a slight smile dared to appear on his normally hardened face. You felt a blush on your cheeks, not knowing what to say. Luckily a voice from behind called out, “You don’t always listen to me though!” Jaskier was walking in the bubbling stream, enjoying the cool freshness on his feet, then he slipped his shoes back on and ran to catch up with you. Geralt looked at him, “You don’t always say anything interesting.” He bluntly responded. You tried to stifle a giggle as Jaskier gasped dramatically,  
“Don’t worry Jask, I always listen to you!” You comforted him, placing a hand on his arm. Beaming at you, he turned to walk backwards in front of you, holding your hand in his, “Thank you, y/n! This is why my next song will be about you and the sunshine you bring to the world!” He declared, before pressing a kiss to your knuckles. This made you chuckle while Geralt groaned at the act. 

Glad to have a moment of monster-free time, you encouraged Jaskier to run ahead with you, darting among the trees and chasing each other like silly children. As you pounced onto Jaskier’s back, almost making him fall, you looked up to see Geralt knelt down, Roach’s lead in one hand as he touched the ground with the other. Jask saw this too and carried you over, curious as to what had gotten Geralt’s attention. He was staring at strange marks on the floor, almost like digging marks, about the size of Geralt’s hand. Sliding off of Jaskier, you knelt down and lightly touched where the indents where. “Looks like badger marks.” You said, looking up at Geralt, admiring he way his face contorts when he thinks.  
“It’s too big.” He muttered, looking around for any more signs.  
“Then it’s a family of badgers. There’s a burrow over there, they must have been attacking a frog or something from the stream.” He didn’t seem satisfied with your answer. You sighed and stood up, walking over to him and pulling on his arm, “Come on!” He knitted his brows at your actions. “You’re being Witcher Geralt again and I want to see Playful Geralt!” He scoffed,  
“There’s no such thing.”  
“Of course there is! You helped me prank Jaskier with that toad half a moon ago-”  
“Which I still haven’t fully forgiven you for!” The bard interrupted.  
“- So I know he’s in there somewhere! Come on, I’ll run ahead, you count to 60 and then try and catch me.” You kept pulling on his arm as you spoke, using your best puppy face and pouting. He rolled his eyes at your actions and stood up next to you. “Fine. One game.” He resigned. You cheered silently as you winked at Jaskier. Geralt reluctantly handed over Roach’s tether to Jask and then began counting. With that you sprinted directly away from them, Jaskier’s supportive words echoed in your ears. What Geralt didn’t know was how good you were at hiding, using your knowledge of nature to assist you. It didn’t take long before you hopped over some rocks and they couldn’t see you. ‘Five seconds’ you whispered to yourself as you clawed at some lavender plants and rubbed them on your skin to hide your scent. Smiling victoriously, you heard Jaskier calling out to you- the chase was on.

You peaked from behind the rock and couldn’t see him, which meant you had enough time to run west instead of north, ducking behind trees. It was hard to stop yourself from giggling when you spotted a huge fallen tree well disguised by shrubs. You leapt over it and hid, lying flat on the ground and peaking through broken roots. You heard running footsteps and your heart thumped wildly. Watching silently, you saw Geralt come into view a few meters away, Jaskier running to catch up and panting ferociously while Roach barely broke a sweat. He sniffed the air and grunted in annoyance, “She’s masked her scent.” You heard him say, a surprised tone in his voice.  
“I did warn you she was better than you thought!” Jask breathed, still recovering. You saw Geralt turn in your direction and you froze like a rabbit slowing your breathing to stop your heart from giving you away. That’s when Jask found the broken lavender plant you had used, “She was here, look Geralt.” He called. They looked at the plants carefully and Geralt faced east, his back to you. “There’s a dip in the forest floor over there,” He pointed outwards, “I’ll bet she’s gone down the verge.” With that they both set off, Geralt running as Jaskier sighed and began jogging,  
“You’re enjoying this way too much!” He shouted as he pulled Roach in tow. Once they were out of sight. You allowed yourself to breathe normally and sighed triumphantly. Sitting up, you looked around you, still captured by the beauty of your surroundings. Just ahead of you, you saw what looked like a gap in the trees. Getting up, you wandered over and found a clearing, the trees bending away from the space, wildflowers littering the floor and you froze in shock when you noticed the dead stag in the middle. 

Cautiously, you tiptoed over and felt your heart break when you discovered the violence of the scene in front of you. The stag’s stomach had been ripped open, shreds of tissue and organs splayed on the floor. You clasped your hands over your mouth as tears filled your eyes. Could this be a bear attack? You hadn’t seen any signs of bears in this forest until now. You looked closer at the head of the stag, antlers broken and bloodied; but you couldn’t hide your gasp when you realised the head wasn’t attached to the body, the neck had been sliced, the bones sticking out like a cry for help. This wasn’t a natural occurrence. Filling your lungs with air, you tilted your head back and screamed for Geralt and Jaskier as loud as you could. You did this several times all while your throat scratched up from the power you threw into it. A few moments later your heard a gruff bellow call your name: Geralt. You screamed to him again and was relieved when he ran into view, eyes wide and sword in hand, followed by a fearful Jaskier. You lunged at him and wrapped your arms around his waist. “I’m sorry,” you sobbed, “I didn’t know what to do. This deer’s been attacked by something.” He briefly squeezed you in an embrace and then pulled away to look at the carcass. Then you ran towards Jaskier and he tugged you into his arms, holding you firmly to confirm you were safe. You both watched as Geralt silently observed the stag, glancing over its wounds, his nose twitching like a rabbit. “This was for sport.” He muttered. Once you had calmed down, you left Jaskier’s arms and wandered a little closer, Roach whinnying behind you sent an uneasy shiver down your spine. Geralt examined you as you moved around the body and pointed to the belly, “It’s not been eaten. At all.” You squinted at Geralt and carried on looking, “There’s no foul odour… no insects…”  
“What does that mean?” Jaskier called. Suddenly there was a low rumble from the thick of the trees, it grew louder and was accompanied by panting and gnashing of teeth. Geralt swiftly stood up and drew his sword again, “It’s a fresh kill.”

With a fearsome growl, a huge creature resembling a wildcat sprung from the trees and launched at you. Instinctively Geralt pushed you out of the way and slashed at the beast with his sword. It sprang at him and he threw himself underneath, slicing its legs as it howled in pain. “Jaskier!” Geralt yelled, “Take y/n and get up high!” The bard quickly let go of Roach’s reins and dragged you to one of the trees. You climbed up rapidly, making sure you could keep an eye on Geralt. The creature was trying to claw at him, using the trees to climb and jump down onto him. Witnessing the battle, Geralt’s movements subtly slowing, you realised he hadn’t had time to drink one of his potions. “Oh fuck.” You whispered, Jaskier flicked his head towards you. “What is it?”  
“Geralt’s slowing down, it’s going to kill him.” You saw Jask’s eyes widen and his mouth quiver slightly. “Wait here.” You demanded as you slid back down the tree. Jask hissed your name but still did what he was told as you retrieved your bow from Roach’s saddle. Keeping her hidden in the trees for fear of the monster spotting her, you grabbed some arrows and moved to the middle of clearing- just as the creature had landed on top of Geralt, it’s teeth only a gruesome breath away from his throat. You quickly aimed at the beast’s side, pulled back the string as far as you dared and let out a slow controlled breath as you released. The arrow whizzed into your target, perfect aim, and settled deep in its flesh. Its painful cry rattled your ribcage as it flung itself off of Geralt and turned to you. Aiming another arrow, you slowly stepped backwards, ready to fire into its face. Just then Geralt leaped onto the creature’s back and drove his sword deep into its fur. It growled immensely, causing you to cover your ears, and it stumbled before collapsing by the stag. Picking up your bow and remaining arrows, you walked over to Geralt and went to place your hand on his shoulder. You flinched as he quickly turned to face you and threw his sword to the ground, glaring. “I told you to get up high.” You froze, mouth open and eyebrows furrowed, “I did. But I could tell you were going to be in trouble so I helped.”  
“I didn’t need your help.”  
“No? That thing caught you off guard and was a hair away from killing you- I did what I could to save you!”  
“It could have killed you!” He bellowed, the sound echoing. Suddenly the beast began to stir, it’s chest moving wildly and it’s limbs begging to stir. Without hesitation, you grabbed Geralt’s sword and whipped it around your head for momentum before hurling the blade into the creature’s neck, beheading it. Its body spasmed and then relaxed, the only sound amongst you was the leaves swaying in the wind. Yanking the sword back out, you huffed and turned to Geralt. His brows were raised and he hadn’t moved, his mouth open slightly. After a moment he paced towards you and you expected another lecture. Instead an impressed grin spread across his face and he stood right in front of you, “I didn’t know you could wield a sword?” He said half-questioning. You grinned smugly at this,  
“Oh Geralt, there’s a lot you don’t know about me; maybe you shouldn’t judge someone by how they appear.” He nodded slightly, his gaze moving across your facial features. “You’re right, please forgive me for making assumptions about you, y/n. And thank you for helping me.”  
“Saving you.” You clarified, causing him to smile. “And you’re welcome.” You both stood there silently, gazing at each other. Geralt’s eyes kept drifting from yours to your lips and back again, igniting a heat in your stomach as your heart began to pound again. You started to do the same, seeing the how the fire in his eyes blazed and how he seemed to swallow hard. You were both disturbed by a loud cough from high up, “Forgive me for the intrusion, but I can’t seem to get down and I really don’t to watch this sexual tension rise anymore.” You laughed as you both turned to watch a struggling Jaskier try and make his way down. Geralt sighed and slowly walked over to him “Hold on you idiot, I’m coming.” 

You supervised as Geralt instructed the bard from the tree, cheering as he finally jumped down. You were now admiring Geralt in a way you hadn’t before, wondering if that flickering moment you shared was a sign of things to come. The image of his shocked and amazed face forever etched in your mind. Maybe you should impress him more often.


End file.
